All the Chicago Bears needed was their third-string quarterback. 38-year-old Case Keenum, who hadn’t started a game since Christmas Eve of 2023 — 1,009 days ago — to dominate the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. 

Certainly wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card. Except maybe Scott Van Pelt’s.

THE LEADUP

The only way to describe the whiplash Bears fans went through from Week 1 to Week 2 would be like jumping off the peak of Mount Everest to the depths of the Mariana Trench. 

In Week 1, the Bears dropped 59 points and it felt like anything was possible. In Week 2, they scored three points, and their franchise quarterback Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury. Anything is possible, but not in a good way. 

Not to mention the fact that backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was in concussion protocol all week leading up to the game, meaning Case Keenum would be getting the start. It seemed like all Bears fans could do was just bide their time until Williams returned. 

On the other sideline, the Philadelphia Eagles started the season 2-0, but didn’t feel like it. They barely came away with victories over the Commanders and Titans, leaving a lot to be desired from a talented team just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl. 

This game presented an opportunity for the Eagles to bounce back with a side of vengeance. These two teams met last year in Philadelphia on Black Friday in a game the Bears had full control of from the opening kickoff. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai pounded the Eagles to submission in a 24-15 win. 

This was their chance to silence doubters in front of a national audience and assert themselves as the same force to be reckoned with they’ve been for years. 

They did not. 

OFFENSE

Keenum sliced through the Eagles’ secondary like a thin-crust pizza en route to 247 yards and two passing touchdowns, even getting his first rushing touchdown since 2019. He also wasn’t sacked once against a vaunted Eagles front, a testament to how well his offensive line played.

His years of experience allowed him to get the ball out quickly to receivers who always seemed to be wide-open. The most notable being a 41-yard catch and run to Kalif Raymond for a third quarter score. A pass so deadly it made Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba touch grass. 

Raymond led the team in receiving yards for the second time in three weeks with six receptions for 90 yards, showing off his reliability and underrated agility to find open gaps in a zone-heavy defense. 

Receiver Luther Burden III scored his first touchdown of the year on a touch pass on Chicago’s opening drive. Fans hope he can develop into the star potential he showcased last year and in college at Mizzou. 

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, September 28, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Patrick Gorski / Imagn-Images)

That being said, the passing game wasn’t all sunshine and air raids. Receiver Rome Odunze had an inexcusable drop in the endzone in the second quarter on a drive the Bears ultimately didn’t score. An absolute lollipop of a pass, but Odunze had butterfingers instead. 

He’s had many issues with drops over his first few seasons and they don’t seem to be going away. Not what fans want to see from someone drafted in the top ten. 

As far as the rushing attack goes, not much to say. Swift had 84 yards and Monangai only had 31. Not great, but enough to let Case Keenum, the real star of the show, do his thing. 

DEFENSE

Not to be outshined by the performance of this defense. A unit that was gashed by the Panthers in Week 1 and heavily aided by rain in Week 2 against the Vikings needed to step up with the offense missing their centerpiece. Boy, did they. 

Chicago Bears linebacker Devin Bush (12) celebrates a big tackle during the second quarter of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, September 28, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Patrick Gorski / Imagn-Images)

They held an offense with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Devonta Smith, Makai Lemon, and a talented offensive line to just seven points. 

The only points they allowed were right at the first half’s death on a Hurts quarterback sneak that definitely took them off guard. 

In the second half, they locked up and didn’t allow a single point, forcing the Eagles to go three-and-out on each of their first three drives. 

They also had three takeaways on the night including Austin Booker punching the ball out of Eagles running back Tank Bigsby’s grasp, allowing defensive back Xavier Woods to recover. 

T.J. Edwards also notched an interception in the fourth quarter, a little bit of his own revenge against his former team. Edwards was eavesdropping on Philadelphia’s huddle before the play which presumably helped him until he later told The Athletic that, “I had no idea what they were talking about.”

The most notable takeaway came in the second quarter, though. After Hurts was briefly knocked out of the game on a late hit by linebacker D’Marco Jackson, the “Red Rifle” Andy Dalton stepped into the game with the Eagles in the red zone. 

After Barkley was stuffed twice at the goal line, the Eagles faced a third-and-goal from the 2. Dalton’s time to shine. 

Unfortunately, the red rifle was as effective as a water gun and threw an interception in the end zone to rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, the first of his career. 

Twelve plays, 95 yards, nearly eight minutes, just to end in a pick. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

A clean operation with kicker Cairo Santos nailing both of his field goals. Punter Tory Taylor nearly had a phenomenal punt that pinned the Eagles at the 1, but yet another mistake by rookie tight end Sam Roush turned the play into a touchback. 

GAME BALLS

Dennis Allen: For leading his defensive unit to three takeaways and holding the Philadelphia Eagles to seven points. 

Case Keenum: For stepping up and winning his first start in years, playing very efficiently. 

THE FUTURE

The Bears are staying home for the third week in a row as they take on the 1-2 New York Jets this Sunday. The Jets have looked more competitive than expected this season, narrowly losing to Chicago’s division rivals, the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the past two weeks. 

Keenum should get the start again, being the hot hand and all, and will look to repeat his success. While other backups might struggle to string together good performances, Keenum’s done this before. As he said himself, “I may not be a cowboy, but this ain’t my first rodeo.”

The post Best Case Scenario: Bears Trounce Eagles, 27-7 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On Saturday, September 26th, No. 17 undefeated Iowa hit the road for the first time this season to kick off Big Ten play. Their first in-conference game already looked to be their most important. The No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, who also boasted an undefeated record, were a rather similar team to the Hawkeyes. Yes, in the national rankings, but also a team still finding its identity on offense and relying on its elite defense. But this game grew increasingly more crucial leading up to it, as other than Ohio State next week, Iowa didn’t have any more ranked opponents left on their schedule. If you want yourself a prove-it game, you’ve got it here.

The game started as almost everyone expected, with the defense dominating. The Wolverines found a spark on their second possession, as the Hawkeyes had trouble accounting for Bryce Underwood’s dual-threat ability. The former five-star recruit was creating plays on both designed runs and rollouts. On a third-and-7 down in the red zone, Underwood rolled out to his right and found an open J.J. Buchanan for an 18-yard touchdown and the game’s first points. However, the excitement coursing through the Big House was quickly silenced.

On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt freshman Braeden Jackson, coming off a big performance in last week’s win over Northern Iowa, fielded the return and found an open gap. The former track star saw green grass ahead of him and ran it all the way for a 99-yard kick return touchdown. If there’s any team in the nation you should account for on special teams, it’s Iowa without a doubt. And with how low-scoring the game had been, Jackson’s touchdown was felt all the way back in Iowa City.

However, that magic wasn’t present in the Hawkeye offense. Entering the game, Iowa had the 10th-best rushing offense in the nation. But you couldn’t tell against Michigan’s feisty front seven. Kamari Moulton returned to the starting lineup, making up 44 of Iowa’s 58 team rushing yards. His backups, Jackson and Xavier Williams, didn’t bring in much on their end. So for the first time in what has felt like forever, Iowa had to find answers in the passing game, which struggled. Without Jackson’s kick return, the Hawks would have had a donut entering halftime.

Fortunately, the Hawkeyes held up defensively on that end. Outside of a 41-yard field goal from Trey Butkowski, Michigan couldn’t get much of anything else going. With under four minutes in the second quarter, the Wolverines kept their offense out on a fourth-and-1 from the Iowa 18-yard line and passed up a kick. Underwood from under center tried to leap over and reach across for the first down, but a brigade of Hawkeye defenders met him in the gap, forcing a turnover on downs. That kept Michigan’s lead to just 10-7 at halftime.

The score may look ideal to the defensive-favored eye, but the truth was the Wolverines found weaknesses in the Iowa defense throughout the first half. Second-half adjustments really came to fruition, and Michigan exploited it well, with Underwood coming out slinging the rock to open up the third. It could’ve gone much more disastrously if not for the penalties the Wolverines were racking up. 

On a third-and-11 from inside Iowa’s 20, Underwood darted a pass towards the left pylon, straight into the arms of his former high school teammate, Deshaun Lee, who made the interception. When they played at Belleville High School in Michigan, they were a part of the school’s first-ever state title in 2021. Even as former teammates, neither player texted the other in the week leading up to kickoff.

Iowa still couldn’t find any success in the run game and punted it back to Michigan. The Wolverines’ run game this time around began causing problems for the Iowa defense. Underwood and his backfield duo of Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter ran it down the throats of the Hawks, getting down inside the five. They wouldn’t throw once until on third-and-goal, where Underwood fled out on another designed rollout, looking for Buchanan on nearly the exact play they had scored on prior. But those second-half adjustments were used on both ends. Iowa played it to perfection and forced Underwood to toss it away, making Michigan settle for three, taking a 13-7 lead.

Iowa needed to get a momentum swing, and fast. On an early third-and-five, Hank Brown rolled out to his right and found an open, and quiet up to that point, Tony Diaz on a corner route. He took it down to the Michigan 40-yard line. A third-and-9 came up, and a very lucky tip off the glove of Diaz dropped perfectly into the arms of D.J. Vonnahme. Vonnahme, who was questionable entering the game, ended up starting and was a meaningful part of the Hawkeyes’ offense, catching four passes for 44 yards. After a long review that confirmed the Vonnahme catch, Brown hit Reece Vander Zee in stride for a 16-yard touchdown. Iowa took a 14-13 lead within the first minute of the fourth quarter.

But the joy on the Iowa sideline wouldn’t last very long. Michigan drove to midfield where on second-and-10, Underwood escaped a collapsed pocket and scrambled outside. J.J. Buchanan would improvise and cut his route back up the field, getting to a zone left uncovered. Underwood saw it and dropped the football in the bucket, as Buchanan took it in for a 49-yard bomb touchdown,  his second of the evening. The Wolverines ‘ two-point try failed as they took a 19-14 lead. 

A score like that in that situation doesn’t usually make the opposing team fret, as 12 minutes were still on the clock. But in the Big House with over 100,000 Wolverine fans, it was certainly felt much more. Iowa drove up to around the Michigan 45-yard line before heavy pressure on second and third downs forced back-to-back Hank Brown passes to hit the dirt. Punter Boston Everitt pinned Michigan at the 1-yard line, marking his second great punt of the game.

The Wolverines only picked up one first down on a questionable spot, as the Hawkeyes got the ball back at midfield with just over five minutes to play. If you know Iowa’s tendencies, you know this was very likely the final drive. They got a good start on a rollout pass to Zach Ortwerth for 13 yards, but a third-and-3 give to Braeden Jackson ended up a yard short. With less than three minutes to go, the Hawkeyes kept the offense out on a gutsy fourth-and-1 call. The offense lined up ready to go until left guard Leighton Jones tipped over in his stance and fell down. Head coach Kirk Ferentz decided to take the offense off the field after the rare mental mistake and send on the Cy-Hawk hero, Caden Buhr, to attempt a career-long 51-yard field goal. The kick was never on target and missed wide right.

The game wasn’t over yet, as Iowa still had all three timeouts and the two-minute warning in their pocket. It was just a matter of the offense performing in crunch time. Wouldn’t you know it, the Hawkeyes stood up Michigan on their three run plays. Evan James decided not to field the ensuing punt and let the ball roll down to the 9-yard line. So out came Hank Brown and the offense one last time. Down five with just under two minutes to play, only one timeout left, and 91 yards to go. 

Relying heavily on the five-wide empty backfield set, Tim Lester’s offense moved their way down the field slowly but surely. Passes over the middle to Diaz, Vander Zee, and Vonnahme got Iowa to their own 45, where they used their only remaining timeout with 0:34 left before third down. A false start penalty on Kade Pieper moved them back for third-and-12. Brown put up a ball on the near sideline for Tony Diaz, where Wolverines defensive back Jyaire Hill had the best chance to bring it down. It was incomplete, and now Iowa had to get ready for a desperate fourth-and-12.

But then came the flag.

After the incompletion and the play ruled dead, Michigan defender Zeke Berry approached and delivered a late hit on Diaz, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving the Hawks an automatic first down to the Michigan 45. Iowa would get an opportunity, not a great one, but one at that. Brown threw back-to -back incompletions intended for Ostrenga and Diaz, bringing up third-and-10 with 11 seconds to play. 

Brown looked deep downfield and across the middle for Ostrenga. The fifth-year tight end got a hand on the ball and tipped it directly up in the air. Ostrenga got underneath the ball and brought it down for the catch at the 16-yard line. The offense raced to spike it before officials stopped the clock due to a Michigan injury. The Hawkeyes had time for one more play, 16 yards out from the endzone.

Once again, they came out in the five-wide set. From the left hashmark, Brown took the snap and went through his routine three-step dropback. He zeroed in on his first read, Reece Vander Zee, streaking up the near sideline. With a corner guarding him tightly and taking away the inside, Brown spiraled a back shoulder throw towards Vander Zee. The junior wideout, who made his way into the starting lineup immediately as a true freshman two years ago, saw the ball coming his way. A chance at glory. He made the adjustment by turning his inside shoulder around, pinning the ball to his chest. Now falling to the outside and out of bounds, he got both of his feet down in the endzone. The catch was made, but officials didn’t call anything initially. You could see the breath being snatched out of the Big House. After what felt like the longest wait of all time, the official gave the ruling: Touchdown, Iowa.

Some believe that the Wolverines completely outplayed and outcoached Iowa in this game. And truth be told, they aren’t completely off. Michigan had 144 more offensive yards than Iowa; they got more first downs, nearly tripled Iowa in rushing offense, and had nearly nine minutes more of possession. Stats aside, it’s undeniable Michigan had control of the game. They had more success in every aspect offensively; their defense completely took away Iowa’s run game and kept their pass game heavily limited. You look at all of this and think, how could Iowa even have won this game? 

And that’s the difference maker between this team and the rest. They aren’t a team full of superstars. They don’t recruit as well as the elite schools of the Big Ten or SEC. They don’t have mind-blowing stats or performances. But what they have is a team that will play for each other. A team that sticks with it from beginning to end. A team that doesn’t stop believing. And the nation is beginning to notice. Iowa is now 4-0; they are looking to continue rising in the rankings, and College Gameday is coming back to Iowa City next week for their game against Ohio State. After what we just witnessed in Michigan and how enthusiastic the city is, who knows what’ll take place next Saturday?

But KRUI’s very own Ryan Paris called it best: “Western Michigan, and the college football world, Iowa has your back.”

The post Big House, Bigger Dreams: Iowa Defeats #18 Michigan on a Final Play Touchdown with No Time Left appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa Hawkeyes

It’s usually not hard to find something to make fun of Iowa football for.

Against Northern Iowa though, the Hawkeyes played as close to a flawless game as you’ll ever see. I left Kinnick Stadium on Saturday night without a single bad thing to say about Kirk Ferentz’s team, and with a genuine belief in their chances against Michigan this weekend.

This is exactly what non-conference games are supposed to do. All of a sudden, the annual “Iowa just needs to beat X and X to make the playoff” suddenly sounds feasible. It’s a foreign feeling to me. The Hawkeyes have me playing the role of optimist for the first time as a fan.

But if they fall flat at the Big House this weekend, that eight-hour drive back from Ann Arbor might be pretty quiet.

Northwestern Wildcats

While waiting in the tunnel of Northwestern’s temporary stadium last weekend, the Colorado Buffaloes huddled together, shouting vaguely encouraging affirmations at each other, like “bring your own juice!” and “gotta have it!” 

Then Colorado defensive back Ben Finneseth took a turn. “This place f— sucks!” he screamed. After a few chuckles from his teammates, he continued. “S— sounds like a f— library!”

The Buffaloes proceeded to lose 41-7 in a game that was never close.

Though it dutifully served as home base for two seasons, the 15,000-seat library that is Martin Stadium hosted its final Northwestern football game last week.

The Wildcats’ new Ryan Field opens its doors to football on October 2nd, billing itself as a first-of-its-kind stadium in college football. “Bigger stadium. Fewer seats. By design,” the website reads. In other words, “We know this team can’t sell out a real stadium, which was our main consideration when we built this place.”

The $870 million venue is the most expensive college football stadium ever built, so it makes perfect sense that it would go to a team like Northwestern, which would occupy the role of Rutgers if Rutgers didn’t exist.

This week, the Wildcats travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday night.

USC Trojans vs. Oregon Ducks

It might be week four of college football, but there’s already a season-on-the-line kind of game shaping up between USC and Oregon this weekend.

The Trojans beat Rutgers in a less-than-satisfying 42-35 shootout last weekend, especially considering UMass beat the Scarlet Knights by nearly three possessions.

Head Coach Lincoln Riley has spent his entire Trojan tenure roughly winning at the rate of the reviled Lane Kiffin (.660 vs .651). And like Kiffin, once the seat gets hot in Southern California, it tends to stay that way. Riley keeping his job genuinely could come down to the result of this game against the Ducks.

Even if he does get fired, USC might opt for a pat on the back and a gift basket as opposed to a dramatic midnight firing on the tarmac this time. They just don’t can ‘em like they used to.

But make no mistake, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning needs this win as well. That week two loss to Oklahoma State will loom large on the Ducks’ playoff resume for the rest of the season, meaning there’s zero room for them to slip up again.

Winning 84-0 against Portland State last week was a step in the right direction, even if it’s the college football equivalent of beating a preschooler in a street fight.

Roundup

I’m excited to have more than one actual interesting college football game to look forward to this weekend. In addition to the ones I’ve already mentioned, Minnesota vs. Washington could be a sneaky good game out west, especially as it concerns two teams Iowa faces next month.

This weekend, the Hawkeye hype train either hits stratospheric levels or comes crashing back down to Earth. There is no in between.

The post Around the Big Ten – Week Four appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Those fans had the misfortune of watching their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, be surrounded by trainers and medical staff. What looked to be one of his famed scrambles turned out to be anything but. 

An entire city held its breath, fearing that the boundless hope they had before the contest would be the very thing that sent them tumbling back down the mountain. 

THE LEADUP

Going into the game, Chicagoans had plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. Just a week earlier, they watched their team score a whopping 59 points against the Carolina Panthers. A game in which the team’s rushing attack combined for 291 yards and six touchdowns, earning lead back D’Andre Swift NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. A game where Caleb Williams made brilliant plays with both his arm and his legs. A game that made it seem like anything was possible. 

This would turn out to be true, just not in the way they hoped. 

On the other side of the docket was their division foe, the Minnesota Vikings, who also won their season opener over the Green Bay Packers with a dominant fourth quarter led by the defense. This was despite starting quarterback Kyler Murray being injured early and replaced by veteran backup Carson Wentz. 

All the hype coming into this game was about the exciting matchup between Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s high-octane offense and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ lockdown defense. This would surely be a showdown for the ages. 

STUCK IN THE MUD

Not if Chicago weather has anything to say about that. 

A general view of Soldier Field during the first quarter of the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Patrick Gorski / Imagn-Images)

Pellets and pellets of relentless rain meant there would be very little offense to speak of in this matchup. Both teams settled for field goals on their opening drives with little else to speak of aside from a filthy juke move by Williams to set up his team’s kick and a terrible interception on the very next drive. 

High highs and low lows are the name of the game. Minnesota chugged along just enough to set up kicker Will Reichard for another field goal. Meanwhile, Chicago got all the way down to the Minnesota 30 but slid back to midfield through a series of buffoonish penalties.  

At halftime, an offense that had scored 31 points in the first half last week had just three this week, and trailed 6-3 at the break. 

Fans were understandably frustrated and likely had many questions on their mind, such as: Why is Garrett Bradbury starting? Where is Colston Loveland? Why is the offense being run through Kalif Raymond? All valid questions that may never get an answer. 

STARTING TO SPUTTER

In the second half, the Bears appeared to finally gain a little traction thanks to a couple of first-down runs from running back Kyle Monangai and a miraculous pass from Williams to Raymond on third down that set the team up with First-and-goal on the one-yard line. 

Johnson devised a seemingly wise plan of handing the ball up the gut to Swift, his lead back who received an award for his performance the previous week. However, as the saying goes, the best-laid plans of mice and offensive gurus often go awry. 

Vikings defensive lineman Jalen Redmond punched the ball out of Swift’s mitts right at the goal line, and defensive back Isaiah Rodgers recovered. Slipping and falling right at the finish line. 

Minnesota Vikings defensive back Isaiah Rodgers (2) celebrates recovering a fumble during the third quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / AP Photo).

Thanks to a stiff Bears defense and the rain not letting up, the offense would have another chance to tie or take the lead deep into the fourth quarter. The time the Bears became famous for saving all of their energy for and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Swift did his best to make up for his error by taking a screen pass over 30 yards into Minnesota territory. A bullet pass to receiver Rome Odunze put Chicago in the red zone. A pop pass over the middle to rookie tight end Sam Roush finally scored the first touchdown of the da- scratch that, he dropped it. 

A tough run from Monangai kept the drive on a crucial fourth-down conversion. On the next play, Williams rolled to his left and saw the tight end Loveland open in the flat. He waved him off and told him to go block.

He scampered to avoid the outstretched arms of Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, but then he fell. Awkwardly. He lay on his back like he had many times before, only this time he didn’t get up right away. 

CURSED

He dug his head in the grass and grabbed his facemask in agony. He tried his best to get up, but he couldn’t. 

As Oduzne said after the game, “I’ve never seen him be down like that – he usually pops back up. I’ve seen him pop back up after hits and all sorts of things.” 

This wasn’t just any hit. In fact, it wasn’t a hit at all. Williams was well past Van Ginkel when he went down. A non-contact injury. The worst kind. 

Just a couple of months ago, EA Sports announced Williams as the cover athlete for the new video game Madden NFL 27, which was released in August. It would appear that the “Madden Curse” against cover athletes had struck again.

Williams was eventually helped off the field by medical staff and carted into the locker room as he gave a thumbs-up to all the Bears fans in their brightly colored ponchos on a gloomy day. 

Out goes No. 18, in comes No. 17. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who had thrown just six passes in the previous two seasons, was in the game. The offense stalled out and was forced to settle for another field goal from Cairo Santos, who would, at the very least, tie the game and give the Bears a fighting chance. 

That was a lie, actually. Off the edge, Isaiah Rodgers blocked the kick, keeping the score at 6-3 Vikings. Even the special teams had a bad day.

A few chunk passes to receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson allowed the Vikings to churn the clock and allowed Reichard to doink in a field goal to make the score 9-3. Way to kick the Bears while they’re down. 

ONE LAST GASP

However, this gave the Bears 60 seconds to go 65 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown to win the game. A backup quarterback doesn’t tend to inspire a lot of confidence in these situations, but a chance is a chance. 

Bagent appeared to take advantage of his chance with big passes to receivers Luther Burden III and Odunze that helped get Chicago all the way to Minnesota’s twelve-yard line. The best the passing game had looked all day. 

With one second left, Chicago had one shot left. One more opportunity to turn a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day into a terrible, horrible, no good, hey, at least we won day. 

Bagent wouldn’t even get to fire the shot. 

Minnesota edge rusher Dallas Turner blew past Loveland to sack Bagent before he could get the throw away. 

Game over. Minnesota emerges victorious. 

In a sloppy, touchdown-less defensive struggle. The Vikings made fewer mistakes and had a little less misfortune, which was all they needed to pick up their second division win of the year, while the Bears fell to 1-1 and face an uncertain future. 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

On the schedule, the Bears will stay home for a primetime showdown on Monday Night Football against the 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles, who haven’t looked overly impressive despite the good record.  

The more pressing matter than the game next week is, of course, Williams’ health. Early reports stated that he suffered a hamstring injury, and MRIs confirm that he will be week-to-week. 

Bagent will likely get the starting nod in the meantime and have a chance to show the world why he received a two-year, $10 million contract extension before last season. The season isn’t over just yet, but if the Chicago Bears want to stay afloat, they’ll need to get back to not being outscored by both of the city’s baseball teams. 

The post Bear Down: Vikings Squash Bears in 9-3 Slugfest appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Quarterback Hank Brown had a perfect day — or more accurately, had a perfect five drives. Brown capped off every possession with a touchdown, going a spotless 12/12 through the air for 153 yards and two touchdowns. By halftime, Iowa led 42-0, accumulated 418 total offensive yards, and picked up 24 first downs. Three games into the season, the offense has looked impressive under Brown. His backup, Jeremy Hecklinski, may have a flashier skill set and play style than Brown, but still seems to be held back by shaky accuracy, like we saw when he entered midway through the second quarter. Whatever was left in the quarterback competition is settled now, if it wasn’t before. Brown is the guy as Iowa stares down the barrel of a three-game gauntlet coming up.

Last week, the Iowa State Cyclones bottled up the Hawkeye run game, which didn’t see much success in their 16-13 win. This game was the polar opposite. Their backfield was missing Kamari Moulton due to a shoulder stinger. Holding him out was a precautionary move to not risk anything worse to Iowa’s lead back. And with L.J. Phillips Jr. still sidelined from his week one injury, offensive coordinator Tim Lester had the opportunity to consistently rotate the ball carriers. 

We didn’t see one or two, but rather a three-headed monster take over. The leader of the rushing attack was Xavier Williams, who on just six carries, ran for a whopping 151 yards and a team-best three touchdowns. He also added up another two catches for 16 yards. Williams made his debut as a freshman last season, running for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games, and rightfully deserves to see an uptick in touches going forward. 

The second back was Nathan McNeil, who had 12 carries for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also proved himself as a threat in the receiving game, as he led Iowa’s receivers with three catches for 37 yards. The third back was redshirt freshman Braeden Jackson. The former high school track athlete and son of NFL running back Fred Jackson. Braeden had his first big game as a Hawkeye, running for 125 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while also hauling in a 24-yard touchdown on a beautiful pass thrown by Hank Brown on the second drive. It’s the first time three different players for Iowa ran for 100+ yards each in a game since 1983.

Assisted by dominant blocking from the offensive line, Iowa accumulated an eye-popping 418 total yards on the ground with six touchdowns. It’s the most rushing yards they’ve had in a game as a team since 1990. As a whole, the offense racked up 640 yards, just four shy of the school record 644 achieved against Middle Tennessee in 2019. While you may point a finger at the caliber of the opponent they did this against, this is still a very good sign that the offense is capable of being competitive all season long.

Defensively? It was more of the same. The Panthers knew they couldn’t win this game on the ground, so they weren’t afraid to let quarterback Jaxon Dailey sling it. While a few impressive plays were made, Dailey was boxed up all afternoon, going 11/27 for 91 yards and throwing two interceptions. They totaled just 155 total yards of offense and went just 3/15 on third downs. UNI never got past the Iowa 40-yard line the entire game, effectively meaning the Hawkeye defense didn’t allow the Panthers any opportunity to come close to scoring. 

If there was any way to cap off the opening three-game stretch of the season, this would be the way to do that. Iowa has a point differential of 111-13, having shut out two of their opponents, and is on the come-up as the #18-ranked team in the country. But now comes their true challenge. Next week, for their first road game of the season, they play ranked Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor. It’s Iowa’s first ranked opponent of the season, and will be a big measuring stick for how this season could play out. Currently, the nation is fed up with the Wolverines, thanks to their infamous 13-12 Hail Mary win over Western Michigan two weeks prior. This is the biggest opportunity for the Hawkeyes to become the nation’s beloved heroes and send a message that they could truly be a College Football Playoff competitor. 

The post Easy As You Like: Hawkeyes Win 55-0 Against Northern Iowa Ahead of Big Ten Play appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa Hawkeyes

This is what I asked for. This is what I wanted.

After campaigning all week on the idea that a nail-biter would be more exciting than a blowout, Iowa’s 16-13 win over Iowa State was exactly what I was hoping it would be. You wouldn’t have been able to tell that if you sat next to me, though.

It’s not a good football game unless I spend the majority of the time hating my team and questioning why I chose to go to school here (spoiler: it’s not and never was about football).

The unquestioned star of these first two games has been wide receiver Tony Diaz, one of not many Iowa players in recent memory that puts the “skill” in “skill position”. Diaz already has 179 yards across two games, more than 100 clear of the next closest reciever.

Even though many fans were expecting a blowout, a win is a win. Iowa is duty-bound to play like an 8-4 team regardless of the opponent. 

Oregon Ducks

Oftentimes when I watch college football games that don’t include the Hawkeyes, I find myself mesmerized by how easy other teams make it look. This usually includes Oregon, whose defense is always a level above Iowa’s and whose offense can hang with anybody.

Through two weeks, the Ducks have been making things look awfully hard. From nearly losing to Boise to actually losing 39-31 to Oklahoma State, it’s been a rough start in Eugene.

On Saturday, the Ducks had no answers for walk-on-turned-Group-of-Six-darling-turned-Josh-Allen-reincarnate Drew Mestemaker. 

And there might be a reason for that, outside of Mestemaker being an incredible football player.

There’s a theory going around that Oregon has a “tell” in their playcalling. Oklahoma State players mentioned it after the game, echoing Indiana players from their playoff victory last January.

It shouldn’t be an issue this weekend. Dan Lanning could feed Portland State each of his plays, and the Ducks will still probably win by 30.

Ohio State

When the #1 team in the nation leads by 20 in the fourth quarter, they don’t lose. They are 197-0 when that’s the case.

After Saturday night’s 24-23 loss to Texas, Ohio State made it 197-1.

Texas played most of this game like they were trying to get head coach Steve Sarkisian fired, which, to be fair, is something a lot of Texas fans want. The Longhorns looked sloppy and stagnant on offense, done in by drops and bad breaks. 

Texas’s silent Sarkisian mutiny was working perfectly until the fourth quarter rolled around, when the Longhorns suddenly began pitching three-and-outs and scoring touchdowns at will. Arch Manning looked like a true Manning for the first time in his career, while Ohio State looked far from the #1 team they were supposed to be. 

This week, the Buckeyes take on Kent State on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff. I’ve seen so many ads for this game that I feel like I’m being Mandela Effect-ed to believe that Kent State actually won 57-0 against South Carolina in week one, instead of the opposite.

Roundup

The first Big Ten conference game of the season kicks off this weekend, featuring the two teams that feel the least like Big Ten members: Rutgers and USC.

I’m also intrigued to see how Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State team looks against Notre Dame, mostly because if you had to pick one coach who sounds like he should be leading the Fighting Irish, it would be a guy named Patrick Fitzgerald.

Big-picture-wise, this is the final week before conference play really picks up. That’s a good thing, because I don’t know if I can pretend to care about 40-point blowouts any longer.

The post Around the Big Ten – Week Three appeared first on KRUI Radio.

With the Bears and Panthers both setting franchise records for Week 1 scoring, it’s no surprise that this game had the highest point total for a Week 1 game in NFL history. 

Head Coach Ben Johnson said before the season that his goal is to “have the highest-scoring offense ever,” and nearly 60 points is certainly a step in the right direction. If there was any doubt regarding whether Chicago would take that next step after the magical, utter insanity that was their 2025 season, they put those doubts to rest. 

OFFENSE

At the start, however, the Bears seemed to prove those doubters right when their third play from scrimmage ended in a fumble by second-year receiver Luther Burden III, recovered by the Panthers. 

From then on, though, Chicago fired on all cylinders. The rushing attack led the way, giving everyone a chance to feast. Running back D’Andre Swift, who recently signed a 3-year, $33.75 million contract extension, had the biggest performance with 124 yards and a touchdown hat trick. His running mate Kyle Monangai also ran for 100 yards, with 61 of them coming on a huge third-quarter house call. Even quarterback Caleb Williams joined in on the fun with 65 yards and his own pair of touchdowns. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina (Bob Donnan / IMAGN IMAGES).

Speaking of Williams, he wreaked havoc on Carolina’s defense through the passing game as he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns on a completion percentage of 72%, a notable flaw in his game last season. 

A couple of his passes were especially jaw-dropping, both in the first half. The first was in the opening quarter with the Bears near midfield. With pressure flushing him to his right, Williams lobbed the ball deep down the sideline. 

His favorite target, Rome Odunze, was one-on-one with Carolina corner Will Lee III, and both of them fought for positioning to catch the ball dropping from the sky. In the end, Odunze simply stretched his arms over Lee’s head and mossed the poor guy, setting up a first-and-goal for Chicago. 

The very next drive, the Bears had the football at the Panthers’ 22, looking to add to their lead. Williams faked the handoff to Monangai and set his feet to look downfield. With edge rusher Jaelan Phillips sticking a hand in his face, he saw tight end Cole Kmet running to the end zone and thought it would be a good idea to throw him the ball despite there being two defenders in coverage. 

Not only was this a good idea, but it was an absolutely fantastic idea. Williams’ pass was a laser beam between both defenders in the only place Kmet could reel it in. The sheer cojones on this quarterback. 

For the receivers, many of them got opportunities to shine, such as the aforementioned Odunze with 52 yards on just two catches, as well as Burden hauling in five passes for 63 yards. 

The leader in receiving, though, was free-agent acquisition Kalif Raymond, who had eight catches for 84 yards, his most since 2023. On the opposite end was the guy who many believed would be the Bears’ number-one target this year, tight end Colston Loveland, who finished the game without a single catch. No love for him.  

DEFENSE

The other side of the football tells a much more pessimistic story. Due to injuries to key pieces in the secondary, Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon, quarterback Bryce Young and company repeatedly gashed Chicago’s defense. 

Young finished with 371 total yards and 4 touchdowns. The type of performance he usually saves for the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Running back Chuba Hubbard aided him with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, while reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan had 75 yards on five catches. 

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with his teammates after rushing for a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez / Charlotte Observer).

The real star of the show was Jalen Coker with 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard bomb in the second quarter that helped keep the shootout going. Something the Chicago Bears might be seeing a lot of this season. 

On some positive notes, Bears rookie defensive backs Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II showed great promise. The former led the team with 10 tackles on the day, while Muhammad had a big interception just before halftime. 

That interception was one of three Chicago takeaways on the day; a unit that led the league in takeaways last year picked right where they left off. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

Another takeaway came on special teams as the Bears recovered a muffed punt by Carolina’s Jimmy Horn Jr. to set up the team’s only field goal.  

GAME BALLS 

In the locker room after the game, Ben Johnson gave out three game balls. 

Dillon Thieneman: For notching 10 tackles in his first career game, leading the team. 

Offensive Line: For creating holes for Swift and Monangai to run through and giving Williams ample time to consistently find receivers downfield. 

D’Andre Swift: For proving his worth on the new extension with 124 yards and three touchdowns. As Johnson stated in the postgame press conference, “He’s had a great week, huh?”

THE FUTURE

The Bears return to Chicago for their home opener next week against their division rival Minnesota Vikings, a team that just rallied to beat their mutual enemy Green Bay Packers 39-22. 

These two faced off in Chicago’s home opener in Week 1 last year on Monday Night Football, in which Minnesota came back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to spoil Ben Johnson’s debut, 27-24. 

The Bears have not beaten the Vikings at home since 2019, and Sunday will be the perfect opportunity to finally get one back.

The post All Gas, No Brakes: Bears Light Up Panthers, 59-37 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It was a slow and sluggish start for both teams to begin the game. One of the key pain points for Iowa was a dramatic drop in run game success compared to last week. In the 40-0 win over Northern Illinois, Kamari Moulton led the attack with 183 yards on just 11 carries, as he was set up with incredible blocking and wide-open lanes. But this time around, Moulton had little to no breathing room, with the Iowa State front seven swarming him each play. He managed just 21 yards on seven attempts in the first half.

In the passing game, the Hawks attempted to up the tempo on their opening possession, but two false start penalties held them back and derailed the drive. It was also clear that offensive coordinator Tim Lester wanted to get Tony Diaz heavily involved again. However, it was maybe too clear. On a third-and-short during their second drive, Hank Brown had an open Reece Vander Zee underneath, but slung it out to the sideline to Diaz, who was double-covered. He impressively made the catch, but was wrapped up a yard short of the sticks. Iowa tried a Hank Brown sneak on fourth-and-1, but managed no gain and ended up turning the ball over on downs.

Iowa’s defense came to play to open up the game, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs in the opening quarter against the Cyclones. But they started to crack on a drive that bled into the second, as first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers got creative in his playbook to counter the feisty Hawkeye defense. One of the best examples of this was an end around to their leading receiver on the night, Omari Hayes, who took it into the red zone down to the 15-yard line. The Iowa defense held firm from there as Kyle Konrardy, a very familiar foe to the black and gold, hit a 29-yard field goal to get on the board first.

With Iowa’s run game struggling, they turned to Hank Brown to get the attack going. Brown struggled with deep ball accuracy last week, and it continued this game, as he was just a touch off on a few deep shots. After another three-and-out, Iowa State began marching downfield. Their biggest play was a great Omari Hayes catch on third-and-3 to set up shop at the Iowa 20. Five plays later on second-and-goal, Jaylen Raynor flipped it to tight end Vince Benetti, who got across for a 4-yard TD to push the Cyclones ahead 10-0. The Hawkeyes were in trouble, but that’s when Hank Brown stepped up.

After opening up a new drive with a 12-yard connection to Vander Zee, Brown uncorked a deep ball for Tony Diaz, who got a step on his defender and raced underneath it to haul in a 56-yard catch, getting all the way to the ISU 7-yard line. Diaz had another great game, catching 8 of his 12 targets for a team-best 95 yards. A few plays later on third-and-goal, Hank Brown fought through traffic on a designed run and stretched across the goal line for a 1-yard TD to get on the board. In a five-play, blink-of-an-eye drive, Iowa bolted 75 yards downfield to put themselves back in the game, hinting at the potential this offense can bring.

With relief and excitement building in Kinnick, the defense forced a punt on a three-and-out as Brown used both his arm and legs to drive his team down into field goal range in ten plays. Kicker Caden Buhr, who struggled last week, knocked a 45-yard field goal through the uprights with under 30 seconds left in the second quarter, tying the game at 10. After a rough first quarter, Iowa turned it around in the second to set up a brand new ballgame. 

Iowa State came out swinging right away to open up the second half, as their run game began to click. Their biggest run came on a 34-yard carry from Aiden Flora, the Cyclones’ leading rusher who finished with 90 yards. However, holding and an illegal substitution penalty would bring Iowa State’s momentum to a screeching halt, forcing them to send out Konrardy for a 51-yard field goal, which he knocked down without issue.

After that, the Hawkeye offense began to stumble again. Iowa State’s defense, which played a heck of a game throughout the night, deserved their flowers as well. Kamari Moulton was kept in check, and the defensive backs sniffed out multiple Iowa passes. Offensively, Iowa State couldn’t get much of anything going for themselves either. One big Hawkeye stop was due to a great Boston Everitt punt that pinned the Cyclones inside their own five. On another drive, Iowa State’s earlier touchdown scorer, Vince Benetti, committed two holding penalties that forced a punt. 

After both teams traded punts once more, Iowa got the ball back with 12:26 in the fourth while trailing 13-10. Knowing how this offense operates, their opportunities to tie it, or better yet win it, were extremely thin. The Brown-led offense began to drive downfield, and the run game finally showed some signs of life. They got down in the red zone with under seven minutes remaining, but ran into a third-and-4 from the 17-yard line. Brown hit Evan James near the far sideline, and he cut upfield and took it down to the 5-yard line. Upon review, James’ foot stepped out at the 14, making it fourth-and-1. With a risky gamble on the table, Kirk Ferentz did what he almost always does and played it safe, letting Buhr hit a 32-yard field goal to even the game at 13 apiece.

Iowa State’s ensuing drive stalled after a false start on a third-and-1, forcing a pass from Jaylen Raynor to fall incomplete. The Hawkeyes got the ball back with 4:17 left at their own 45, and with the Cyclones already down a timeout, it was the time for Iowa to take the dagger that Iowa State delivered last year in Ames and flip it back on them. 

Kamari Moulton took Iowa down inside the ISU 40-yard line on three consecutive touches. After the two-minute timeout, the biggest play of the night had arrived. With the Hawkeyes needing to convert a third-and-3, they gave it to Moulton up the middle. He was brought down right at the line, but got a rather generous spot from the officials for the first down. After a 7-yard run by Nathan McNeil, Jimmy Rogers shed his final timeout, and ISU could only watch the clock from this point. 

The Cyclones stuffed Xavier Williams on a third-and-1 at the 24, where they sent out Caden Buhr for a 42-yard field goal try with 19 seconds to go. Buhr missed an extra point and a 53-yard kick last week in the win over NIU, but was perfect up to this point in the game. In his second game as Iowa’s starting kicker, Buhr knocked down the go-ahead 42-yarder that ultimately stood as the winning kick.

It wasn’t pretty by any means, but that isn’t important in rivalry games like these. In the Cy-Hawk series, a win isn’t simply just a win; it lifts the entire team, school, and fans for the entire year. Not to mention the sweet, sweet bragging rights. Next week, Iowa takes on their easiest opponent of the season vs. Northern Iowa, before they step into the three-game gauntlet stretch against Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.

The post Hawkeye State Once Again: Iowa Defeats Iowa State 16-13 in a Nail-Biter Finish to Earn the Cy-Hawk Trophy appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa Hawkeyes

The best part of going to Iowa, a program desperately trying to convince people that it can run a competent offense, is that even when they win 40-0, there is still plenty to nitpick.

After starting the game with three touchdowns on three drives, the Hawkeyes took their foot off the gas right as quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski subbed in for Hank Brown. They did this specifically to make me, a Hecklinski fan, look like an idiot in front of my friends who consider me informed when it comes to Iowa football.

Hecklinski went 7/16 for 76 yards and an interception. Brown, who started the game, was 12/20 with 129 yards and a touchdown. 

Based purely on the box score, Brown looked like the better quarterback. Based on the eye test, Brown looked more composed. Based on Monday’s depth chart, professional fence-sitter and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz must not have been satisfied.

This time though, I agree with him. Realistically, Iowa was never going to learn enough in 30 uncompetitive minutes to decide who was truly the better quarterback. I wish Ferentz kept alternating drives between his quarterbacks in the second half, but there’s always time to do that when we’re up by five scores against Iowa State this weekend.

Michigan Wolverines

“The game isn’t over until the clock says zero”, NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce once said. That might be true in basketball, but here in college football, we do things a little bit differently.

In case you haven’t heard, Western Michigan upset directionless Michigan at the Big House in a gritty 12-7 slugfest. That was until the referees decided that Michigan, like the banks in 2008, was too big to fail. 

After review, the referees, the Big Ten, and maybe the devil himself found an extra second for Michigan. The Wolverines predictably executed the ensuing Hail Mary to win the game.

To their credit, Western Michigan took the high road and acknowledged the loss. The general public did not. 

The most likely outcome is that nothing comes from this. I could also see this game being treated as a phantom loss for Michigan, affecting their standing with AP and playoff voters while still nominally being a win in the scorebook. This weekend, they’ll get waxed by #11 Oklahoma and rightfully put in their place.

I’ve always preferred the NFL to college football, and it’s because something like this would never happen there.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Favored by over 50 points against Ball State, Ohio State won by 53. Generational wide receiver prospect Jeremiah Smith continued to live up to the hype with 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and pickleball enthusiast Julian Sayin dished out 320 total yards to his receivers.

This weekend, #1 Ohio State faces a steeper challenge at #4 Texas. The Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 14-7 at home last season in a defense-dominated contest that may have been the deciding factor in why Texas missed the cut for the playoff.

In response, the Longhorns spent heavily in the transfer portal, assembling a group of weapons for Arch Manning on par with what his Uncle Peyton had when he tossed 55 touchdowns with the 2013 Denver Broncos.

It’s an early contender for game of the year, which is a shame because it kicks off at the same time as Iowa-Iowa State.

Roundup

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Rutgers, who are usually brought up most often at the end of the sentence “At least we’re not ___”. The Scarlet Knights not only managed to lose to UMass (0-12 last year), but lost big, 37-21. Either UMass is that good or Rutgers is that bad. Or it’s week one, and nothing makes sense. Welcome back to college football.

The post Around the Big Ten – Week Two appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The biggest story of camp leading up to the season for the Hawkeyes was who would start at quarterback in week one. Kirk Ferentz stated days before the game that both QBs would be getting their chance, and the game vs. Northern Illinois would be the factor in deciding who would command the offense going forward (subject to change, of course). Even with a question mark at the quarterback position, the Iowa charge was still explosive, a term that is rarely used for that side of the ball.

Hank Brown would start first, and he immediately got to work. Four consecutive first downs powered a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Brown capped it off on 3rd & goal with a 6-yard TD strike to transfer wideout Tony Diaz for the season’s first points.

Diaz is a redshirt sophomore transfer out of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who made a lot of noise during camp. That noise continued into his first game, as the Texas native saw 15 targets, catching seven of them for 84 yards and a score to lead Iowa receivers. The highly recruited transfer selected Iowa over Alabama, and now that he’s got his first game in the books, the hype is very real about what he can accomplish for this offense.

But the true key to the offense’s high-flying day was Kamari Moulton and the offensive line creating some enormous holes. On just 11 touches, Moulton wrecked the Huskies’ defense, totaling 183 yards with two long touchdown runs, his longest coming from 50 yards. He accumulated over 60% of Iowa’s 289 rushing yards, immediately setting the tone that Iowa’s run game hasn’t gone anywhere.

Meanwhile for the QB battle, Brown had a strong showing. The 6 ‘4 redshirt junior finished the day going 12/20 for 129 yards and a touchdown, and helped the Hawkeyes capture a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. While there were a couple miscues, Brown had a very consistent day, resting his case that he can manage Iowa’s offense and keep them productive.

As for his competition, the gunslinger Jeremy Hecklinski saw some struggles. He went 7/16 for 76 yards and a touchdown with a 4th-down goal-line interception. While he made some impressive throws (and catches on a couple of high snaps), a couple of passes were off the mark or a touch inaccurate. The offense’s momentum noticeably dipped when Hecklinski entered the game for the first time. While it’s unlikely this is the last we will see of Hecklinski, it’s fair to assume that we know who Iowa will be moving forward with to lead Tim Lester’s offense.

As for the other side of the ball, the word ‘domination’ would be an understatement for how the defense performed. From start to finish, NIU quarterbacks Jalen Macon and Taron Dickens were under constant pressure. Iowa’s defense tallied up six sacks and forced two turnovers, as the Huskies didn’t gain a single first down until a Hawkeye defensive pass interference with 4:14 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Huskies’ run game was non-existent, with 31 attempts going for just seven yards. Iowa’s front seven burst into the backfield snap after snap, leaving NIU with little breathing room as the Hawkeyes racked up seven tackles for loss.

The highlight of the day came on special teams. Iowa’s original punt returner to start the game was Reece Vander Zee, but it was Evan James who took a punt return all the way for a 77-yard TD that pushed Iowa’s lead up to 40-0 late in the third. It seems the special teams magic is still present in the 319. Quarterback Jimmy Sullivan finished the game for Iowa, running out the rest of the clock.

Iowa finished the game with a 40-0 win, pitching their second season-opening shutout in three years, their last coming in 2024 against Illinois State. They put together 507 total yards of offense, their first time cracking 500 since 2019. Aside from some cleanup needed in their goal-line offense and general operation, the Hawkeyes played a very strong game all around. They will be riding high next week when they play under the lights at home against their rivals, Iowa State. The Cyclones have gotten the best of Iowa the past two seasons, so to say that this is a highly sought-after win is putting it lightly. 

The post Hot Start: Hawkeyes Dismantle NIU in 40-0 Shutout as Brown and Hecklinski Compete for Starting Job appeared first on KRUI Radio.